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Taylor & Francis

Prepare your manuscript for Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.

Review the checklist, choose your article type, and turn your draft into a cleaner submission package.

Checked 2026-08-02
Check readiness freePrepare this manuscript

Article types

Review
Perspective
Commentary
Book Review
Letter
Clinical Trial
Review Article
Protocol
Systematic Review
Research Article
Lectio
Editorial
Case Report

Readiness requirements

Review the key details below, or download the complete checklist with every stored source-backed requirement.

Abstract length

  • Provide an author-written abstract of no more than 250 words.
  • Use a structured abstract.
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  • A structured abstract of 200-250 words is required for all manuscripts submitted.
  • Trial registration numbers should be included in the abstract, with full details in the methods section.
  • Your abstract should focus on what your research is about, what methods have been used, and what you found out.
  • The instructions for authors for each journal will give specific guidelines on what’s required here, including whether it should be a structured abstract or graphical abstract, and any word limits.

Keywords

  • Provide 3-6 keywords chosen by the author.
  • Each manuscript should have 3 to 6 keywords.

Reference style

  • Articlo formats your supplied references in APA style and checks that citations match the reference list; source validity is not verified.
  • Inclusion of material from theses or dissertations should be noted in the manuscript and cited accordingly in the reference list.
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  • - Full book details required including: book title, book authors/editors, ISBN, number of pages, publisher, place of publication and date of publication (year).
  • Include a brief presentation of yourself and a complete reference to the book you would like to review.
  • Where applicable, this should include the hyperlink, DOI or other persistent identifier associated with the data set(s).
  • Readers should be able to interpret the table without reference to the text.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors take full responsibility for the integrity of the whole content, including accuracy of references.

Figure and table rules

  • Keep every figure and table numbered, captioned, and cited in the manuscript. Keep figures embedded; Articlo also extracts numbered source files for the package.
  • Group figures at the end of the manuscript.
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  • Group tables at the end of the manuscript.
  • Typically, manuscripts do not include more than 5 tables and figures combined.
  • Figures should be high quality (1200 dpi for line art, 600 dpi for grayscale and 300 dpi for colour, at the correct size).
  • Tables and figures Show clearly in your article text where the tables and figures should appear, for example, by writing [Table 1 near here].
  • Figures should be saved separately from the text.
  • Please do not include the actual figures in the manuscript as these need to be uploaded separately.
  • Tables should present new information rather than duplicating what is in the text.
  • All tables must be numbered in the order in which they appear in the manuscript.
  • Vertical/horizontal lines should only appear below column headings and the border of the table itself.
  • Use single-spacing both for the table and the optional “note” that appears below the table.
  • It’s very important that you have been given permission to use any tables or figures you are reproducing from another source before you submit.
  • Therefore, tables displaying means, standard deviations and effect sizes should include data on all outcomes regardless of whether the results were statistically significant or not.
  • Figures should be supplied in one of our preferred file formats: PS, JPEG, TIFF, or Microsoft Word (DOC or DOCX) files are acceptable for figures that have been drawn in Word.
  • Check the instructions for authors to see how you should supply tables and figures, whether at the end of the text or in separate files, and follow any guidance given on the submission system.

Funding statement

  • You should declare only the acquired funds and grants that are directly relevant to the work reported in your article; for example, This work was supported by the [Funding Agency #1] under Grant [number xxxx]; [Funding Agency #2] under Grant [number xxxx]; and [Funding Agency #3] under Grant [number xxxx].

Competing interests

  • Include or confirm the competing interests required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Data availability statement

  • Include or confirm the data availability statement required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Ethics statement

  • Add or confirm the author-written Ethics statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • In this section, authors should specify that approval for human subjects research was obtained and informed consent/assent was obtained from study participants.
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  • If specific participant data/details or distinct events from a music therapy experience/process are shared, formal approval from an ethics review board is required.
  • In settings where ethics approval for non-interventional studies (e.g. surveys) is not required, authors must include a statement to explain this.
  • Authors should familiarise themselves with our policy on participant/patient privacy and informed consent.
  • All original research papers involving humans, animals, plants, biological material, protected or non-public datasets, collections or sites, must include a written statement in the Methods section, confirming ethical approval has been obtained from the appropriate local ethics committee or Institutional Review Board and that where relevant, informed consent has been obtained.
  • Consent All authors are required to follow the ICMJE requirements and Taylor & Francis Editorial Policies on privacy and informed consent from patients and study participants.
  • Authors must include a statement to confirm that any patient, service user, or participant (or that person’s parent or legal guardian) in any type of qualitative or quantitative research, has given informed consent to participate in the research.
  • Case Report: a clinical case report detailing their medical history, identifiable images or media content, etc), authors must include a statement to confirm that they have obtained written informed consent to publish the details from the affected individual (or their parents/guardians if the participant in not an adult or unable to give informed consent; or next of kin if the participant is deceased).
  • Case Report: For submissions where patients or participants can be potentially identified (e.g.

Cover letter

  • Using Third-Party Material in your Paper You must obtain the necessary permission to reuse third-party material in your article.
  • The use of short extracts of text and some other types of material is usually permitted, on a limited basis, for the purposes of criticism and review without securing formal permission.
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  • If you wish to include any material in your paper for which you do not hold copyright, and which is not covered by this informal agreement, you will need to obtain written permission from the copyright owner prior to submission.

Supplementary files

  • Include every cited supplementary file and use matching labels in the manuscript.
  • Authors should consult available guidelines such as Aigen's guidelines for publishing qualitative research ( Aigen, 2012, including the supplementary web material) and the EPICURE agenda for evaluating qualitative research ( Gold, 2010; Stige, Malterud, and Midtgarden, 2009 ).

Title page and author information

  • Provide the author, affiliation, and correspondence details for the separate title page; Articlo creates the editable companion file.
  • All authors of a manuscript should include their full name and affiliation on the title page of the manuscript.
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  • One author will need to be identified as the corresponding author, with their email address normally displayed in the article PDF (depending on the journal) and the online article.

Article structure and word limits

  • Margins Margins should be at least 2.5cm (1 inch).
  • These instructions will ensure we have everything required so your paper can move through peer review, production and publication smoothly.
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  • Use these instructions if you are preparing a manuscript to submit to Nordic Journal of Music Therapy.
  • Your research funder or your institution may require you to publish your article open access.
  • Use our APC finder to view the APC for this journal.
  • Authors must comply with the Taylor & Francis AI Policy.
  • Authors should: Define and clarify the issue or problem to be reviewed.
  • Authors should: Summarize previous research in order to inform the readers about the state of knowledge pertaining to the issue or problem.
  • Authors should: Identify gaps, inconsistencies, and contradictions - as well as other aspects - in the literature reviewed.
  • Authors should: Suggest further steps in the investigation of the problem or issue.
  • The overview should be written clearly to promote reader understanding.
  • When using a word which is or is asserted to be a proprietary term or trade mark, authors must use the symbol ® or TM.
  • For all NIH/Wellcome-funded papers, the grant number(s) must be included in the declaration of interest statement.
  • The registry should be publicly accessible (at no charge), open to all prospective registrants, and managed by a not-for-profit organization.
  • All research studies on humans (individuals, samples, or data) must have been performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki.
  • You will also need to upload your LaTeX source files, which should be uploaded as a single zip file alongside your subission and marked as "LaTeX Source Files".
  • Your paper should be submitted to this journal alone.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Originality and accuracy of content has been confirmed by the authors.
  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable.
  • Authors must retain the original and revised versions which must be shared upon request.
  • The PLSP guidelines for authors must be followed at all times.
  • Before you submit your article, make sure you’ve checked the instructions for authors for your chosen journal, so you are aware of everything required.
  • Most journals create image descriptions during the production process, but a minority may require authors to provide image descriptions.
  • Review: Running heads and received dates These aren’t required when submitting a manuscript for review.
  • Please use SI units (non-italicized).
  • The process of obtaining consent to publish should include sharing the article with the individual (or whoever is consenting on their behalf), so that they are fully aware of the content of the article before it is published.
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: European accents (Greek, Hebrew, or Cyrillic letters, or phonetic symbols): choose Times New Roman font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • Special characters If you are preparing your manuscript in Microsoft Word and your article contains special characters, accents, or diacritics, we recommend you follow these steps: Asian languages (such as Sanskrit, Korean, Chinese, or Japanese): choose Arial Unicode font from the dropdown menu in the “Insert symbol” window and insert the character you require.
  • Manuscripts need to follow the style requirements provided in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA; 7th Edition).
  • The following subheading is required for manuscripts that report on human subjects research: Ethical Considerations.
  • If you are at the early stage of your research, you may also need to read how to start writing a journal manuscript.
  • Image descriptions are typically used by systems such as pronouncing screen readers to make images accessible to people that cannot read or see the object due to a visual disability.

Reporting guidelines

  • Include or confirm the reporting guidelines required by the journal. Articlo checks this item and flags anything that still needs author input.

Preprints and prior publication

  • The manuscript must be your own original work, and should not duplicate any other previously published work, including your own previously published work.
  • If you have shared an earlier version of your Author’s Original Manuscript on a preprint server, please be aware that anonymity cannot be guaranteed.

Artificial intelligence disclosure

  • Add or confirm the author-written Artificial intelligence statement; Articlo flags it if author input is still needed.
  • Please include a statement disclosing whether and how generative AI has been used in the research and manuscript preparation process.
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  • Use of AI tools as part of ethical research studies is permitted.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: The name and version number of the AI tool used.
  • Systematic Review: Use of AI tools as part of ethically conducted literature reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analysis and bibliometrics studies is permitted.
  • Use of AI tool assisted plain language summaries (PLS) of authors own work is permitted.
  • Authors must clearly disclose the use of Generative AI tools (e.g. CHAT GPT) or any large language models at any point in the preparation of the manuscript, by including the full name of the tool used (with version number), how it was used, and the reason for use, in the acknowledgements section of the manuscript.
  • Please read our guidance on using AI tools in your research and manuscript preparation to understand scenarios where their use may be permissible, and the required information that must be disclosed.
  • A declaration must be included within the submission stating: Confirmation the authors have checked terms of use for the specific AI tool used, and therefore confirm suitability for publication.

Authorship and originality

  • All authors submitting to medicine, biomedicine, health sciences, allied and public health journals should conform to the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals, prepared by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
  • The Nordic Journal of Music Therapy asks that all authors use terminology and language that is respectful to the participants and collaborators in their research and practice.

Manuscript structure

  • Authors should consult guidelines by Bradt (2015) for publishing mixed methods research and the checklist for the publication of mixed methods research studies by Leech and Onwuegbuzie (2010).
  • As the design of mixed methods research studies can be quite complex, authors are required to submit a diagram of their research design as recommended by Creswell (2015), Creswell, Klassen, Plano Clark, Smith (2011), and Bradt (2015).
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  • Whenever participant-related material is referred to, authors must include an “Ethical Considerations” section.
  • Section headings should be concise.
  • Authors must retain full records of the methods undertaken, including full descriptions and records of the prompts used, which must be shared with the journal upon request.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: First-level headings (e.g. Introduction, Conclusion) should be in bold, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.
  • Abstracts should use the following headings: Introduction; Method; Results; Discussion.

Article type and manuscript length

  • Authors should include a word count on the title page.
  • The title page should include the title of your paper, all authors’ names, all authors’ affiliations, the corresponding author’s correspondence details including email address, the manuscript’s word count excluding tables, references, captions, footnotes and endnotes.
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  • Word count: A typical manuscript will not exceed 6000 words excluding tables, references, captions, footnotes and endnotes.
  • The main manuscript files should be compiled in the following order: introduction, main text; disclosure statement; acknowledgements; references; appendices (as appropriate); table(s) with caption(s) (on individual pages); figure caption(s) (as a list).

Language and text style

  • Long quotations of 40 words or more should be indented without quotation marks.
  • Please use double quotation marks, except where “a quotation is ‘within’ a quotation”.
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  • The title should be flush left, in italics, title cased.
  • For all manuscripts non-discriminatory language is mandatory and must contain nothing that is abusive, defamatory, libellous, obscene, fraudulent, or illegal.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fourth-level headings should be in bold italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Fifth-level headings should be in italics, at the beginning of a paragraph.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Second-level headings should be in bold italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.
  • Headings This will show you the different levels of the heading section in your article: Third-level headings should be in italics, with an initial capital letter for any proper nouns.

Study reporting guidelines

  • As per the CONSORT guidelines, results for all primary and secondary outcomes should be reported.
  • For animal studies, approval must have been obtained from the local or institutional animal use and care committee.
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  • Authors must provide full methodological details and adhere to relevant reporting guidelines where applicable (e.g. CONSORT-AI, STARD-AI, GAMER, TRIPOD-AI, etc).
  • Systematic Review: NJMT requires that authors use the following guidelines for the reporting of quantitative research: 1 the CONSORT statement for randomised controlled trials (RCT), 2 the TREND statement for non-randomized controlled trials (CCT), 3 the PRISMA statement for systematic reviews (SR), and 4 the updated Reporting Guidelines for Music-based Interventions ( RG-MBI ) whenever reporting research on music-based interventions.

Blinded manuscript

  • The PDF should be uploaded as the "Manuscript - with author details"/"Manuscript - anonymous" file.
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What your package checks

Abstract: 250 words
Paper: 6,000 words
Keywords: 3-6 keywords
References: APA
Title page: separate file
Declarations: Ethics, Artificial intelligence
Format: Times New Roman

Source transparency

This preparation guide uses published journal-specific author requirements. Journal instructions can change, so authors should complete a final review before submission.

Open official guideline source